Mets # 1

The New York Mets
Here are the top ten Mets of all time using the Bill James Win Share ranking system.
To see #s 11 through 20, click here.

An asterisk (*) after a Win Share total indicates that this was the leading total for the team that year. In other words, the player was probably the team MVP or close to it that year. A player gets +2 subjective points added to the calculation for each year he leads the team in Win Shares.

#1
Tom Seaver (RHP) / Player’s Score = 191

Not much mystery here. Seaver is far and away the Win Share leader as a Met. Bill James says that a case can be made that Tom Seaver is the greatest pitcher in the history of baseball because so many of his wins were with so-so teams. Seaver is the career Met leader in every meaningful pitching category: Games started (395), complete games (171), wins (198), innings pitched (3045), shutouts (44), strikeouts (2541), and ERA (2.57). As a Met: Three Cy Young Awards ('69, '73, '75), Rookie of the Year ('67), 10 times All-Star, 2nd in MVP voting in 1969, World Series champ, Hall of Fame election, etc. It goes on. Seaver got way more on-field leadership points than any other Met as a result of leading the Team in Win Shares seven times. He got one subjective point each for the 1969 and 1973 World Series'.
Innings Pitched: 3,045

Seaver's annual Win Share totals in a Met uniform are:
1967 (21*); 1968 (23); 1969 (32*); 1970 (25*); 1971 (32*); 1972 (22*); 1973 (29*); 1974 (16); 1975 (26*); 1976 (20); 1977 (8); 1983 (12).

Here is his Win Share ranking calculation as explained here:
25.78 (career total) + 31 (avg. three best yrs.) + 28 (avg. five best consecutive yrs.) + 14.4 (age adjustment) + 16 (subjective factor) = 115.18

Seaver’s annual Wins Above Replacement totals in a Met Uniform are:
1967 (6.4); 1968 (7.5); 1969 (7.6); 1970 (6.0); 1971 (9.2); 1972 (5.8); 1973 (9.5); 1974 (5.7); 1975 (7.7); 1976 (5.7); 1977 (2.2); 1983 (2.5) = 75.8

#2
David Wright (3B) / Player’s Score = 138

       Due to injuries Wright played about two-thirds of all Met games in 2011. A slow ramp up off the DL added to the perception that 2011 was Wright’s worst year in the majors, and, it being New York, many people immediately soured on Wright. Whether Wright will be a Met in 2012 is an open question, but any replacement for him is likely to be a step down on the MLB food chain. In between 2005 and 2010 Wright has been the best player on the field for the Mets. David in now the all-time Met leader in doubles and total bases. He is 8 RBIs short of the all-time Met lead in that category as well. Although it will pain many to admit it, it is now official by my count: David Wright has easily surpassed the beloved Darryl Strawberry as the second most productive Met of all-time.
       David’s fielding continues to be dismal. It seems clear to me that Wright should be moved to first for the remainder of his career, yet no one seems to be talking about it. If Wright were even an average third baseman the gap between him and Strawberry would be significantly wider. Wright is signed through 2012 and an expensive team option exists for 2013. 2012 will be a pivotal year for Wright’s future as a Met. Wright will need to return to the top rank among NL third baseman in order for the Mets to accept his 16M salary for 2013. That is, if he isn’t traded before that time.
       I note that even now there is a very wide gap between how Bill James ranks Wright and how the WAR system sees him. For example, using WAR alone would indicate that Strawberry is still far ahead of Wright. Yet, using Bill James’ method puts Wright clearly ahead of Strawberry. Curious. My use of both systems tends to smooth these differences a bit.
                                                      Plate Appearances: 4,782

                                   Wright's annual Win Share totals in a Met uniform:                        2004 (9); 2005 (26*); 2006 (30); 2007 (34*); 2008 (27); 2009 (20*);                                                       2010 (25*); 2011 (14)

                           Here is his Win Share ranking calculation as explained here:
21.28 (career total) + 30.3 (avg. three best yrs.) + 27.4 (avg. five best consecutive yrs.)                           + 18.2 (age adjustment) + 8 (subjective factor) = 105.2

                          Wright’s annual Wins Above Replacement totals as a Met are:
    2004 (1.4); 2005 (4.9); 2006 (4.6); 2007 (7.8); 2008 (6.1); 2009 (2.4); 2010 (3.9);                                                          2011 (1.4) = 32.5

#3
Darryl Strawberry (RF) / Player’s Score = 135

       Despite Straw’s long prominence as the most important Met since Tom Seaver, his reign as the #2 Met of all time based on playing output in a Met uniform is at, or is rapidly coming to, an end. Although Straw has the same player’s score as David Wright, and therefore is in fact currently tied with Wright for the #2 honor as the greatest Met of all-time, I list him below Wright only because Wright is still playing and will pass Straw to clearly possess the #2 slot by himself come the end of 2011. However, as a personality, Wright can’t touch the affection New York fans have for Darryl Strawberry. His thirteen year career with both the Mets and the Yankees, his involvement with five New York playoff teams (’86 & ’88 Mets, ’95, ’96 & ’99 Yankees), three New York World Series appearances, 293 Met/ Yankee homers, current SNY announcer, Met instructor, difficult battles with drugs, abusive behavior, and cancer, and his induction into the Mets Hall of Fame all contribute toward a warm, sympathetic acceptance of Straw among New York Fans. Fans who say Straw will always remain behind Seaver as the #2 Met of all-time are speaking from the heart and I understand them. To me, Straw evokes the memory of the last Met championship team. Until Wright leads the Mets to the same heights it will be tough for many to take Darryl down a notch. Maybe that’s the way it should be. But, based on the on-field Met numbers alone, things are about to change.
       In the years between 1983 and 1991 Strawberry was polishing a plaque in the Baseball Hall of Fame. After that time he was never again a regular player. His problems are well documented and won't be repeated. A tragic story. For our purposes, if there's anything good about Strawberry's story, 8 of those good 9 years were spent in a Met uniform. He came in 2nd in the MVP voting in 1988 and 3rd in the voting in 1990. He was a 7-time Met All-Star and is the all-time Met leader in runs scored (662), home runs (252), and RBIs (733). Also the Met leader in strikeouts and walks.
                                            Plate Appearances: 4,549

Strawberry's annual Win Share totals in a Met uniform are:
1983 (18); 1984 (24); 1985 (24); 1986 (25); 1987 (30*); 1988 (30); 1989 (18);
1990 (26*).

Here is his Win Share ranking calculation as explained here:
21.91 (career total) + 28.67 (avg. three best years) + 26.6 (avg. five best consecutive years) + 16.2 (age adjustment) + 4 (subjective factor) = 97.38

Strawberry’s annual Wins Above Replacement totals in a Met uniform are:
1983 (2.7); 1984 (2.8); 1985 (4.8); 1986 (3.8): 1987 (6.7); 1988 (5.9); 1989 (4.5); 1990 (6.5) = 37.7

#4
Edgardo Alfonzo (3B - 2B) / Player’s Score = 130

       Surprised? Shouldn't be. Played many solid seasons and was a big part of the 2000 Mets success. He placed three times in the MVP voting and was an All-star in 2000. The average of Alfonzo's Win Shares for his three best seasons are the equal of Tom Seaver's. That's how good he was. Alfonzo dropped to the #4 slot after the 2010 season.
       My guess is that Alfonzo will remain in the #4 slot for quite awhile. Although Beltran is the only real threat to move into #4 in the future, I have my doubts as to whether he will finish 2011 in a Met uniform. In fact, the better he is in 2011 the more likely it is that he’ll be traded before the end of the year while the Mets can still get some benefit from him. However, if Beltran remains a Met for most or all of 2011, and plays at All-star or near All-star levels, he could overhaul Alfonzo for the #4 slot. That would put Beltran is some pretty rare company, but like I’ve said, he’s been a nice acquisition except for the lost season to injury.
                                           Plate Appearances: 4,449

Alfonzo's annual Win Share totals in a Met uniform are:
1995 (8); 1996 (6); 1997 (28*); 1998 (22); 1999 (29); 2000 (36*); 2001 (15); 2002 (26*).

Here is his Win Share ranking calculation as explained here:
20.20 (career total) + 31 (avg. three best years) + 26.0 (avg. five best consecutive years) + 17.3 (age adjustment) + 6 (subjective factor) = 100.5

Alfonzo’s annual Wins Above Replacement totals in a Met uniform are:
1995 (0.3); 1996 (0.5); 1997 (7.0); 1998 (2.7); 1999 (5.7); 2000 (6.7); 2001 (1.0); 2002 (5.3) = 29.2

#5
Carlos Beltran (CF) / Player’s Score = 126

       Sad to say it, but the book on one of the finest players ever to wear a New York Met uniform came to a close on July 28, 2011. Everybody in the MLB knew that Beltran would be wearing another uniform before the end of 2011 if the Mets weren’t deep into a pennant run by the trade deadline. They weren’t and thus Beltran was sacrificed to the massive rebuilding program under new GM Sandy Alderson. Beltran hadn’t received the credit he deserved at New York because of injuries that erased the last half of his 2009 season and the first half of his 2010 season. He played very well when he was on the field in both his injury seasons. When 2011 came around, Beltran, now playing rightfield to protect his knees, was striking the ball in the same way he had established in his previous playing time with the Mets. Even though he was gone from the Met lineup after July, he still finished with 19 Met winshares in 2011.
       Beltran finishes his seven years as a Met with one of the most productive records on file. On the whole, Carlos Beltran has turned out to be a wonderful acquisition if one subtracts out the missed season to injury. Although he had knocked in 100 runs in a season five times before the Mets got him, he has had his best years under the bright lights of New York. He has hit career season highs in Home runs, RBIs and batting average as a Met. In his seven Met years he has been an All-star 4 times, Gold Glove winner 3 times, and Silver slugger twice. Carlos Beltran appears to be safely ensconced as the #5 Met of all time for long while.

                                            Plate Appearances: 3,640

Beltran's annual Win Share totals in a Met uniform are:
2005 (21); 2006 (34*); 2007 (25); 2008 (29*); 2009 (14); 2010 (8), 2011 (19).

Here is his Win Share ranking calculation as explained here:
18.75 (career total) + 29.33 (avg. three best yrs.) + 24.6 (avg. five best consecutive yrs.) + 17.7 (age adjustment) + 4 (subjective factor) = 94.38

Beltran’s annual Wins Above Replacement totals in a Met uniform are:
2005 (2.1); 2006 (8.0); 2007 (5.3); 2008 (6.8); 2009 (4.4); 2010 (1.8); 2011 (3.4) = 31.8

#6
Jerry Koosman (LHP) / Player’s Score = 121

       Koosman was the #2 of the 1-2 punch in the Mets starting rotation between 1968 - 1973. Although his 12-year tenure makes him known as Met, he actually had one of his best seasons in 1979 when he garnered 23 Win Shares with the so-so Minnesota Twins.
       Other than Seaver, Koosman has benefited more than any other player from subjective factor points. He gets +4 for leading the team in Win Shares twice and +3 for World Series play. Between the 1969 and the 1973 World Series' Kooz is 3-0 with a 2.39 ERA in 26+ Series innings. He has the best pitching record of any Met in World Series play.
                                                   Innings Pitched: 2,544

Koosman's annual Win Share totals in a Met uniform are:
1967 (0); 1968 (23*); 1969 (25); 1970 (14); 1971 (9); 1972 (5); 1973 (18); 1974 (17); 1975 (13); 1976 (20*); 1977 (11); 1978 (8).

Here is his Win Share ranking calculation as explained here:
19.74 (career total) + 22.67 (avg. three best yrs.) + 15.8 (avg. five best consecutive yrs.) + 14.2 (age adjustment) + 7 (subjective factor) = 79.21

Koosman’s annual Wind Above Replacement totals are:
1967 (-0.5); 1968 (6.8); 1969 (6.7); 1970 (3.4); 1971 (2.6); 1972 (0.8); 1973 (5.7); 1974 (5.1); 1975 (2.3); 1976 (4.6); 1977 (2.8); 1978 (1.5) = 41.8

#7
Howard Johnson (3B) / Player’s Score = 120

       My feeling is that because Hojo played in the Dwight Gooden/Darryl Strawberry/Gary Carter-era he was overshadowed and underrated. Many people will be shocked to find him this high in the rankings. Hojo was a Met for nine seasons, had great speed, great power, but was not a great fielder (James rates him as a D+ fielder at third base). Hojo had 30 homers / 30 steals three times as a Met and made 2 All-star teams. His 1989 Win Share total of 38 is the all-time Met Win Share high for a single season. He had 319 total bases and polled 5th in MVP voting that year. At 40 Win Shares you generally lock up the league MVP.
       Hojo was an extremely versatile player which cut both ways on his performance. Although he played the great bulk of his time at third for the Mets he also put in 1,500 innings at shortstop and more than 1,000 innings in the outfield during his Met days. Unfortunately, he didn’t play any position all that well. His defensive WAR knocked almost 11 points off his career Met WAR total. Had Johnson been even an average fielder he would have been up at #4 all-time.
       Given all the above, in Whitey Herzog's You're Missin' a Great Game the great Cards manager of the 1980's has an interesting theory regarding Howard Johnson's home run power. I'll pick up the story with a quote from page 259, "Back when my Cards were still wrangling with the Mets every year, everybody used to wonder how in the hell their third baseman (Johnson) suddenly turned into Mickey Mantle and went deep thirty-six times in 1987. I'll answer it in one word: cork. Illegally drill out a hollow center in your bat and fill it illegally with the stuff, and you get yourself a little better (bat) speed through the hitting zone. We commandeered one of his bats back then, hustled it into our clubhouse, and put it under the knife, and the surgery was a success."
                                             Plate Appearances: 4,591

Johnson's annual Win Share totals in a Met uniform are:
1985 (11); 1986 (10); 1987 (24); 1988 (21); 1989 (38*); 1990 (24); 1991 (25*);
1992 (10); 1993 (6).

Here is his Win Share ranking calculation as explained here:
17.28 (career total) + 31.67 (avg. three best yrs.) + 26.4 (avg. five best consecutive yrs.) + 16 (age adjustment) + 4 (subjective factor) = 95.57

HoJo’s annual Wins Above Replacement totals in a Met uniform are:
1985 (0.4); 1986 (1.4); 1987 (4.5); 1988 (3.8); 1989 (7.7); 1990 (2.7); 1991 (4.1); 1992 (-0.9); 1993 (1.0) = 24.7

#8
Keith Hernandez (1B) / Player’s Score = 119

       Nine and a half years with the Cardinals and the 1979 MVP award made St. Louis think that they had gotten Hernandez's best. Turns out that the move to get Hernandez to Shea Stadium was one of the cornerstones that would result in the 1986 World Championship. As a Met Keith won 5 gold glove awards; polled 2nd in the MVP voting in 1984; 4th in the balloting in 1986; and hit .296 over his 7 Met years. The only knock on an otherwise great player is that Keith was not a power hitter in a power hitter's position. He never tried to be a power hitter.
       Perhaps Tim McCarver said it best on page 205 of Oh Baby, I Love It!, “If I had to write a book about Keith Hernandez, I’d title it In The Game. That’s the one phrase Davey Johnson uses more than any other when describing Keith - he’s always “in the game.”
       With Kooz, Beltran, Hojo, and Keith all stacked together pretty tightly one could make a good argument that any of these four players could be 5, 6, 7, and 8. However, Beltran will start the 2011 season as a Met and he will create enough separation to be solidly in the #5 slot.
                                            Plate Appearances: 3,684

Hernandez's annual Win Share totals in a Met uniform are:
1983 (16); 1984 (33*); 1985 (27); 1986 (29*); 1987 (21); 1988 (13); 1989 (3).

Here is his Win Share ranking calculation as explained here:
18.11 (career total) + 29.67 (avg. three best yrs.) + 25.2 (avg. five best consecutive yrs.) + 15.3 (age adjustment) + 4 (subjective factor) = 92.28

Hernandez’ annual Wins Above Replacement totals in a Met uniform are:
1983 (4.5); 1984 (6.5); 1985 (4.9); 1986 (5.6); 1987 (3.2); 1988 (1.9); 1989 (-0.1) = 26.5

#9
Dwight Gooden (RHP) / Player’s Score = 118

       Dwight Eugene Gooden was born November 16, 1964. In his early life, Gooden, like tens of thousands of other kids, starting playing Little League Baseball at age 7. Although Dwight was very shy growing up, his father had big plans for his young son.
       At age eleven, Gooden started pitching and began to understand the gift in his right arm. In high school he blossomed into and incredible player both pitching and hitting. He acquired the nickname "Doc" because of the way he would methodically dissect hitters.
       Gooden was scouted by several major league teams in high school and was eventually signed by the Mets as their #1 pick in 1982. Gooden played in the minors at Kingsport and Lynchburg. He was promoted to the big leagues in 1984.
       Gooden's 1984 and 1985 seasons were among two of the best rookie and sophomore seasons on record. He won the Rookie of the Year Award, broke Herb Score's 1955 record for the most strikeouts by a rookie, became the youngest All-Star game starting pitcher of all time, should have won the 1984 Cy Young Award, won the Cy Young Award easily in 1985 (he was the youngest ever to win the award), and had the lowest starting pitcher ERA since Bob Gibson's 1.12 ERA in 1968 (and the lowest thereafter to date). Not only had Gooden arrived, but the Mets had gelled as a team.
       He pitched well in 1986, but was nowhere near his performance in '85. The reason for Gooden's performance drop? Alcohol. Gooden had started to drink heavily with other teammates after almost every game of the 1986 season. All that alcohol took the movement off of his famous fastball. His playoff performance in '86 was plainly subpar.
       Gooden's first contact with cocaine came almost immediately after the end of the 1986 World Series. During a cycle of post-World Series celebrations he went on numerous drinking binges. During one of these binges he opened the "front door to hell." He tried cocaine once, then waited a few days, then tried it again, then started twice a week, then three times a week. He was arrested in a scuffle with police in December 1986 and suddenly he was on a path that was to eventually ruin his baseball career.
       On March 24, 1987, Gooden agreed to routine drug testing as part of his contract. He got high on March 25th and the trainer showed up for Gooden's drug test on March 26. He flunked the test. Gooden entered rehab and remained cocaine free thereafter for seven long years. Still drinking routinely, Gooden's career began to slowly slip. He turned again to cocaine in the summer of 1994 and was subject to a 60-day suspension. Between the suspension and the baseball player's strike, Gooden's 1994 was finished. With nowhere to go and nothing much to do he became a very serious coke addict, failing numerous subsequent drug tests. The Mets released Gooden and soon thereafter Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig suspended him for the entire 1995 season.
       Looking at his Win Share totals it seems sad to say that he really only had one great, two very good, and 5 ok years as a Met. Gooden gets +2 subjective factor for his on-field leadership in leading the team in Win Shares in 1985, but gets -2 for ruining his 1994 season and ending his career with the Mets.
       Check out Gooden's honest reflections on his own career in Heat: My Life on and Off the Diamond.
                                                  Innings Pitched: 2,169

Gooden's annual Win Share totals in a Met uniform are:
1984 (18); 1985 (33*); 1986 (17); 1987 (14); 1988 (13); 1989 (8); 1990 (13); 1991 (13); 1992 (11); 1993 (14); 1994 (0).

Here is his Win Share ranking calculation as explained here:
19.06 (career total) + 22.67 (avg. three best yrs.) + 19 (avg. five best consecutive yrs.) + 16.4 (age adjustment) + 0 (subjective factor) = 77.13

Gooden’s annual Wins Above Replacement totals are:
1984 (5.4); 1985 (11.7); 1986 (4.4); 1987 (3.8); 1988 (3.3); 1989 (1.6); 1990 (2.7); 1991 (3.1); 1992 (2.2); 1993 (3.7); 1994 (-0.7) = 41.2

#10
Jose Reyes (SS) / Player’s Score = 117

       Jose Reyes’ incredible 2011 performance added 10 points on to his player score and jumped Mike Piazza to occupy the 10th slot in all-time Met history. Yes, he’s that good! He’s even better when he’s healthy. I’ll write more on Reyes once we find out whether his career as a Met will be continuing past 2011. As we sit here now, we don’t really know (but it doesn’t look good).
       In all due respect to Bud Harrelson, Jose Reyes is the best shortstop that has ever worn a Met uniform. He has led the NL in triples 3 times and stolen bases 3 times. He has had 190+ hits for four years in a row; has scored 99+ runs four years in a row; polled in the MVP voting four years in a row and was a two-time All-star. Before his 2009 injury he was one of the best lead-off hitters in the NL. He got hurt in 2009 after a fairly typical start. His injury erased the back half of the 2009 season. Reyes returned to full-time play in 2010 and played solidly if certainly not the Reyes of old. The Mets have Reyes under contract through 2011 at least, so he will move up the ladder at least one slot. My thinking is that the Mets will re-sign Reyes if the price is right. A lot depends upon his performance in 2011. To be really, really great Jose needs to take more walks. In 2011 Jose will be battling David Wright for the all-time Met career record for runs scored. Both players will pass up Straw’s old record this year.
                                              Plate Appearances: 4,840

Reyes's annual Win Share totals in a Met uniform are:
2003 (12); 2004 (5); 2005 (17); 2006 (28); 2007 (24); 2008 (28); 2009 (5), 2010 (19); 2011 (26*).

Here is his Win Share ranking calculation as explained here:
19.80 (career total) + 27.33 (avg. three best yrs.) + 20.8 (avg. five best consecutive yrs.) + 18.3 (age adjustment) + 2 (subjective factor) = 88.23

Reyes’ annual Wins Above Replacement totals in a Met uniform are:
2003 (1.8); 2004 (0.4); 2005 (1.7); 2006 (5.9); 2007 (5.4); 2008 (5.3); 2009 (0.6); 2010 (2.2); 2011 (5.8) = 29.1